The First
by siren
Summary: Matrix/SM She was one of the First. The last of those who were first placed in the matrix, with a history full of secrets and mystery she must decide whether to abandon all of he beliefs, or to inadvertently cause the death of the one man she could ever l
1. Default Chapter

Hey everybody! I know, crazy to come out with a new story, but I just can't help but write this! I can't wait to get this really going, and I hope you all enjoy.  
  
This takes place right after the movie, and exists solely in a Matrix setting, and Sailor Moon is totally AU. It's a bizarre idea, but I have to write it! Well, hope you enjoy my li'l teaser.  
  
***  
  
A blot of lightning flashed against the dark sky, briefly illuminating the desolation below. It stretched as far as the eye could see. The world once green and full of life now was a dead husk of its former self. Without sunshine there can be no life, there can be no warmth. One by one the creatures had died. First the plants and trees that had once stood majestically throughout time. And then all the living creatures that had once flourished had passed on one after another, each death causing a chain reaction, ruining the balance that existed in nature.  
  
A break in the land showed one of the greatest losses of all. A mass grave, unlike anything humans could imagine. Thousands of years old, the tiny capsules that had once glowed red with the human life in them were now dark, and what would have once been people were mere ash, lost and forgotten. For here was one of the first 'crops' as they were called by those that used humans as nothing more than a battery. A plantation of human life that had all died out, and never been replaced. In a time when the AI were still experimenting, these people had been a small loss, demonstrating that they should try again. No one mourned the loss of those whom no one knows of. No one cried over their graves.  
  
But as lightning flashed once more against the forever dark sky, if one looked really closely they could almost make out a faint red glow. And if they listened over the sound of roaring thunder they would hear the faint whirling of machinery. And if there was anyone who felt the desire to investigate, which there never was, they would find buried beneath the rubble of ages a single pod. In that pod lay a young woman.  
  
She had no hair, and her skin was a stark white. She almost appeared dead, if not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, and the flowing of the chemicals that after all of this time still kept her alive.  
  
And so she lay, as she had since the beginning of the end..Since the building of The Matrix.  
  
***  
  
Sorry it was so short, but after all, it's just a teaser. Tell me if it's worth continuing or not. I can't wait to see what you have to say, and fell free to give me ideas. I'm running blind here, and while I have a general idea I still have no idea. After all, I'm going for something totally original.  
  
Email me at sirencalling@yahoo.com to tell me what you think! 


	2. The One

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I know it wasn't much, but right now I'm really on a roll! I'm enjoying writing this as much as I would normally be stuck in a book, and I'm really looking forward to putting it all down into words.  
  
And just a quick reminder for those who haven't seen the movie in a long time, there are a few key facts you might not have remembered.  
  
In the movie, there is a part where the Agent is talking to Morpheus. In that he's telling him how humans are like parasites, etc. But what's key is when he says that in the beginning they tried to make the world a paradise. But humans couldn't accept it, and so they lost whole crops, and had to start all over. The Matrix takes place within the 20th century, because it is the highlight of human life. But if the Matrix is hundreds of years old, then how can that be? So in this story it's very important that the 20th century is happening over and over again, and in the Matrix time is reversed back to the beginning. That's why the people in the real world don't know what year it is. It doesn't say just when they decided to use the 20th century, so it can be believed they tried many different times in human existence, and none of them worked so they tried something new until they finally made up their minds. In the movie it talks about how there was someone who was 'The One' long before Neo. And that when he died, there was a prophecy that he would come again. This is a very important piece of this story.  
  
Now, hope you enjoy!  
  
***  
  
The small girl held tightly to her parent's hands, barely able to contain her excitement. It had taken so many months to convince them, and now here she was.  
  
She would burst into spontaneous giggles every time she saw some crazy character do something bizarre, just like they would in the movies. And even though she knew they were people in costumes that didn't ruin the feeling of wonder that filled Disney World. And she had so many plans for what she would do here too. First she would find Mickey Mouse, and then Cinderella. After all, the blonde servant girl was her favorite girl of all. And then she would go on every ride her small stature would allow, including the Dumbo ride.  
  
For truly Disney World was its own type of paradise. And it was filled with laughter and fun. While the entire earth was a 'paradise', this place was special in and of itself. It was where childhood dreams could come true. Not to say she didn't love her world. It was a wonderful place, where there was no such thing as poverty, hunger, or famine, and everyone got everything they wanted without any trouble. With just a thought you could do practically anything. All you needed was to believe you could. But Disney World was created almost solely for children, and she planned to milk it for all it was worth.  
  
She glanced up worriedly at her parents while she walked on. Her mom's mind was somewhere else, and her dad had a small scowl on his face. Even though they were in this place of magic, she knew their worries hadn't gone away. They tried so hard to hide it from her ears, but she still knew strange things were going on. People were mysteriously dying, for no reason at all. Entire cities would vanish without a trace, and all that would be left was nothingness. That was one of the reasons she had wanted to come here so badly. She wanted to take her beloved parents away from the worry that she knew plagued them.  
  
Her mother noticed she was looking at her, and she quickly covered her face with a brilliant smile. "Usagi, dearest. Be a sweet and go stand with goofy over there. I'd really like to get a picture." Usagi for the first time looked up, and saw one of her favorite Disney Characters. With a squeal she ran over to him.  
  
Pulling on his big black hand, she waited trying to get his attention. When she finally did he looked down at her, and with a kind booming voice asked. "Yes little miss, what can I do for you?"  
  
Usagi smiled and chirped. "Could I please get a picture with you for my mommy? Puleasssseee?"  
  
Goofy laughed and answered quickly. "No problem. Just come over here and stand by me." He got on his knees, and she stood a little in front of him.  
  
"Smile and say cheese!" Her father called as he got the camera ready.  
  
"Cheese!" Usagi shouted through clenched teeth as she smiled to enormously she felt her cheeks begin to crack.  
  
Following was a brief flash of light, which momentarily blinded the small girl. For just a second all she saw was white.  
  
However that instant was more than enough. She opened her eyes, and her world had gone mad.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy!" She screamed, eyes searching frantically through the now silent amusement park. When she finally saw them, she couldn't stop the sob that came from her lips. She fell to her knees by the now still forms of her beloved parents. She shook them, not quite understanding what was happening. She had always been so protected, and she didn't recognize death when she saw it. "Wake up." She cried, looking for some sort of sign of life in her parents. A word, and touch, anything.  
  
When they still hadn't moved, she came to the startling realization. Her parents were gone. For some reason they had left her. Standing up and moving away she started to look hysterically for any sign of life. Someone to tell her what had happened to her parents. But all she saw were bodies littering the ground as far as the eye could see.  
  
And just when she was sure her world couldn't fall apart more than it already had, she noticed the strangest thing of her life. Slowly, everything was disappearing. The rides that had stood starkly against the horizon were now gone, and the bodies were beginning to vanish one at a time.  
  
Still not quite grasping what was happening around her, she ran back to her parents. Taking their hands in hers, she held on tightly. Even though they were dead, she would not let them go. She would hold on, no matter what. But despite everything, as she was surrounded by white emptiness, and all but her parents were already gone, she felt them slipping through her fingers.  
  
"NO, DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" She screamed, but no one heard her. She was alone.  
  
And distantly, she could have sworn she heard a cold, inhuman voice say. "It is finished. Now we can begin again."  
  
Usagi screamed.  
  
***  
  
With a start Usagi bolted upright in her bed. She had that dream again, and just when she was beginning to think her past was behind her. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin on her knees, waiting for the tremors to stop. But she didn't cry, or weep. This was a familiar feeling, and she had learned to deal with it. It was a nightmare she had so many times before, that it was almost like an old friend. Not quite, but almost.  
  
Knowing she would get no more sleep that night Usagi reluctantly climbed out of her bed. A shiver passed through her body at she sudden cold. She never bothered to heat her apartment, and in the middle of the winter most would think that wasn't a good idea. But she just ignored it, and told herself she couldn't feel anything. She told herself she was nice and warm, and the next thing she knew she felt like she was covered with a large blanket, blocking the chill night air.  
  
Her body rebelled at the lack of sleep she was allowing it, and Usagi just staunchly ignored it.  
  
Her feet made faint rustling sounds as she padded across the soft carpet floor to go and take a shower. That dream, and especially the voice at the end of it always made her feel so dirty. Then she would proceed to rub at her skin until it was red and raw, and still not feel totally clean.  
  
As she felt the scalding hot water beat against her skin, she whistled to try and clear her mind. It was an old tune, one that had been long forgotten through the years. Remembered only by her, it was from a different time, and in a sense a different 'world'. It was a funny, upbeat song her mother used to sing to her to banish the demons, and lull her into a dreamless sleep. She cherished it as one of the things she still had of those people who had died so many years ago.  
  
After the water was beginning to turn ice cold, and she had no idea she had been there, Usagi climbed out to get ready for work. She wore a somber business suit, and her long gold hair was tied back in a bun. When she was a child she had worn them in strange pigtail-like ondagos that her mother put up every morning. But that would attract too much attention, and attention was the last thing she wanted.  
  
Everything about her appearance she carefully changed in order to better blend in. The right clothes, make-up, and hairdo were all carefully arranged in order to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.  
  
With an exasperated sigh she looked over at her clock. It read 5:30 am. Work didn't start until 7:00, and it was only a 15-minute walk to get there, which meant she had a full 45 minutes to kill. Her eyes strayed against their own accord to the calendar that hung on her wall. Today was December 25, Christmas. It was a time for one to spend with family and friends. But her family had all died, and for her friends were a far too dangerous commodity to indulge in. Besides, any attachments she made weren't worth the pain of losing them in the end. Today would be a day like any other. She would go to work, and then come home. Maybe she would treat herself to pizza, and that was it.  
  
She knew it was in a way dangerous to work on Christmas, but she still needed something to do to keep her mind busy. That was the only way to push what she wanted to forget into the back of her mind for a few moments, and it would be even worse on a day she had once spent with loved ones. The danger came from her co-workers, and the way rumors flied. She was already polite, but distant. She wasn't anyone's friend, and she knew that to work too much would be cause for her to be singled out. And rumors were already spreading. She knew it would be time to leave soon.  
  
Which it was really a shame, because she preferred this job over others she had occupied herself with. It was working with software, and the numbers. In a way it all sort of reminded her of the Matrix, the biggest computer of them all.  
  
Pulling on her heavy leather jacket, Usagi went outside. For just a minute she couldn't help but look around her in wonder. There had been a fresh snowfall the night before, blanketing everything in sight. It was beautiful, truly a winter wonderland. And even though she knew it wasn't real, she still loved it all the same. After all, what is real was only a matter of perspective.  
  
Wrapping her coat even tighter about herself, Usagi unconsciously sped up. That was all behind her now, and she tired not to think about it anymore. Real world or the Matrix. She had tried so hard to simply forget and move on. But she had found her mind stray every once in a while recently. Almost like something important had happened, and she needed to know what it was. She would find herself wondering how they were doing in the resistance, even though she had refused to take part in it for hundreds of years. It bothered her, and she didn't know why.  
  
The feeling only strengthened as she walked on down the sidewalk, distracting her more than she cared to admit. But she was able to shrug it off as nothing more than hunger from not eating.  
  
Suddenly a stabbing pain in her chest made forced Usagi to her knees. Her vision turned red, the exact color of blood. The pain was so immense that she couldn't think straight flowed all of her senses. Nothing like this had ever-she stopped herself-had happened for a long time. She felt like she was dying, even though she knew that wasn't possible. She felt like she had been shot in the chest, but she knew she was perfectly fine. She felt like she was dying, and everything went black.  
  
***  
  
"Excuse me miss, MISS! Somebody call an ambulance!" Usagi awoke to a panicked voice and the feel someone shaking her shoulders.  
  
In a flash she had her eyes opened. She felt just fine, and the pain was totally gone. But the pain of the body couldn't compare to the pain of her heart that struck like lightning. She was in a daze as she waved off the kind man who had found her. Nothing like this had happened to her in years at least not since his last death, she paused for a moment, she didn't even know how many years ago.  
  
And she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt. The One had returned.  
  
***  
  
I know, it's not much. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Remember to review. It only takes a second, but it totally makes my day.  
  
And feel free to email me at sirencalling@yahoo.com to say anything at all.  
  
See ya laterz! 


	3. The Ring

Authors Note- Hey there everybody! Thanks so everyone who took the time to review, it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this story with a twist to everything you think. And I have a few clues in there if you want to guess what's going on. Enjoy, and remember to tell me what you think.  
  
***  
  
Usagi leaned casually against the side of the run down building...waiting. She had stood there for nearly an hour now watching as multiple people walked up and down the stairs that led to the apartment. Some were children, coming to learn what no one else could teach. And others were nervous parents, unsure of what is going on but at the same time trusting the kind old woman who offered to help their kids. A person or two wore large black trench coats, and walked looking over their shoulder trying to make sure no one was following them. These people in particular caught her interest as she tried to blend in with her surroundings.  
  
It had been a week since she had collapsed on the sidewalk, and in her own way died. It had been a week since she had come back to life with the knowledge that her world, the Matrix was about to change forever. It had been so difficult not to run to the oracle immediately and ask what was going on, and she was exercising a patience she previously didn't know she possessed to stand out in the sunshine waiting until she was sure the building was almost empty. She wouldn't want anyone near during her confrontation with her oldest friend, especially not anyone who knew her there.  
  
She was a frequent visitor to this small run-down apartment, and had even gone as far as to make friends with some of the children and try to teach them what the Oracle could not. A few of the children she had even introduced to Zora, hoping that she could help them control this ability before the Agents could find out about them. She didn't want them to overhear what she was going to talk to the Oracle about. She didn't want anyone to accidentally overhear her biggest secret that only one other person in the world knew. She didn't want them to see her lose her control, and say something she knew she would regret later. She wanted nothing more than to scream at the world why me, why now? But there wasn't anyone who could answer those questions. However there were others that could be answered, and they would be answered tonight.  
  
Despite the circumstances Usagi couldn't her lips from twitching into a half smile when she spotted the small bald boy walked through the door holding the hand of an older version of him. They both wore long brown robes, and neither of them looked like they belonged here. Brother and brother, both with their own tragic tale that brought them to where they were. One was still bending spoons, and had a remarkable ability to think differently than those around him. He had an openness of mind that gave him a power over the Matrix that adults would never be able to have. Well..with a few exceptions. The older version still couldn't quite believe what his brother was doing, and his mind couldn't accept where he was. But Usagi knew them both quite well; after all, she was the one who had brought them here.  
  
She melted into the shadows a little more as they walked away. The last thing she needed was that cheery smile, and those eyes that saw more than a child ever should. She might break right then and there.  
  
She waited until they were just out of sight to make her move. Without a sound she stood up straight, and walked towards that green door. She didn't even bother to knock, she just opened it and stepped inside.  
  
She gave the room a quick once-over, and was relieved to see it was as she expected. Everyone had already gone home, even Marge the secretary who normally greeted everyone. She was all alone, well, except for Zora of course.  
  
She strode purposefully through the room, not stopping when she came to the curtain that separated the rest of the apartment from the kitchen where Zora could normally be found.  
  
"Usagi, I've been expecting you." The Oracle, also known as Zora turned from the sink, where she was washing her hands, to greet her.  
  
Usagi sighed exasperatedly and raised one eyebrow. "Really, and here I thought you'd gone and forgotten all about me."  
  
Zora's calm expression didn't change as she walked forward and sat down at the little wooden table off to the side. She gestured to the chair on the opposing side and said. "Have a seat."  
  
Usagi shook her head. She could feel her anger beginning to drain, and she couldn't let that happen. Zora always did this to her, to everyone! And Usagi had a right to be angry, and she wasn't going to just chit chat with an old friend while she had some rather serious questions.  
  
Zora didn't look surprised in the least. "Well, are you going to tell me why you're here or not?" She calmly asked Usagi, even though Usagi knew that Zora was well aware of why she was here.  
  
She took a deep breath. "I'm here, because you had information that you didn't give me. Rather important information that I feel I should have had a right to know." Zora started to open her mouth, but Usagi silenced her with a glare. "You can't sit there and tell me you had no idea The One was back. If I'm not mistaken you've probably even met him. And you didn't think to tell me! I think of all of the people in the world I have a right to know! I only found out that he was even alive when I felt him die, and then come back to life. And I imagine you knew about that too, didn't you? Probably already left the Matrix and everything. Damm you all! You and you're foolish resistance are going to go and get him killed again!" When Usagi finished she found that she was slightly out of breath, and somewhere in the middle of her speech she had taken a small ring hanging on a silver cord out from under her shirt and was gripping it so tightly that her fingers were turning white.  
  
Zora's patience didn't waver for an instance. "If you're quite done." Usagi nodded angrily. "I'll have you know that I had no idea who he was until he was brought to me. Granted, I did know who was going to find him, so he would appear this century, and that was all I knew. I didn't think that was enough information to give you without you going out and finding him before he was ever ready to be found. Besides, I highly doubt I would ever be able to find you even if I thought that would be the best solution. I have no way how you disappear the way you do, but you're impossible to find when you don't want to be."  
  
Usagi let the calm words wash over her. She was still angry, and her fingers were still clutching at the small ring, but she let go some of the rage. Zora was right, she didn't like to be found, and no one could find her when she didn't want to be. It did hurt that Zora wouldn't have wanted her to find him though. What did she think she would do? Tell him what he couldn't know? But Zora and her resistance had motives all of their own. That foolish resistance who took, and took, but never gave. That resistance that didn't have a chance, and now had caught Raven in their web again. Never to let go.  
  
Quickly she changed her line of thought. Just because she would forever connect the phonemon called The One with Raven, that was really wrong. And she had completely ignored the previous 'Ones' simply due to her always mistaking them. Raven had died long ago, and these men had no connection to her whatsoever.  
  
Usagi sighed and collapsed down onto the chair. "I suppose there's not much point in shooting you, so lets just talk about what's going to happen now. And I'm going to let you know, there's no way I'm going to let him die again. Not that I really care if he accomplishes his mission, as he's failed to so many times, but when he dies..it disrupts my work. Plus it's pretty dang painful. I'm getting downright sick of it all. So I refuse to help your resistance, but I'm going to see if I can talk some sense in this boy!" Usagi hoped Zora didn't notice the false ring in her voice. The truth was, she couldn't help but relive Raven's death every time 'he' died, and would do almost anything not to live though that again.  
  
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Zora allowed teeth to show as she smiled at her old friend. "I was hoping that you would see this as a chance to come out of your shell and join the real world again."  
  
Usagi winced at her choice of words. "You know there's no way I can join the Real World. If I could there's no way this all would've happened."  
  
Sorrow flashed for just a moment through Zora's unreadable eyes. "You know I didn't mean that. I just meant that you need to get out and see what's around you again, just like you used to. Maybe you could even.."  
  
"I'm just told you I'm not going to join your resistance if that's what you're gonna ask. You know I feel about the matter, and I'm not going to change my mind. I've already fought for the resistance, and it just isn't worth it. Why should you have the right to mess with so many lives like you do on a daily basis? How can you be sure that the real world is any better than this one? I have an idea as to what it's like, and it hardly seems worth living in."  
  
Zora sighed. "I was hoping you would change your mind just this once, but the fact still remains. You know things can't be the same now you know he's back, so what do you plan on doing about it?"  
  
Usagi sat up a little straighter. She had thought about just that question for the past week, and she had a fairly good idea as to what she wanted. The only problem was going to be getting it. "Well, I thought I could join your little friends for a while. I wouldn't be fighting, just watching. I need to be sure Ravens safe here, and he isn't right now. He just found out who he is, he just discovered what he can do. Now is the most dangerous time of all. Since he and whatever friends he's made will be perfectly safe with me, I might even to teach him for a while. There's so much he still doesn't know, that I was unable to show him before he died. It's obvious if he came back to life that he still instinctively remembers some of what I showed him in his previous life, but that's so little of what he needs to know in order to stay alive. You need me for this. I'm the only one that can show him this. And since I can't go into the real world I think they should take a brief vacation from that world to come back to the Matrix."  
  
Zora didn't look at all surprised. It took a lot to surprise someone who could see into the future.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I still don't see why it is that after he died they all took to only spending time in the Matrix just for business, and only for a few minutes at a time. It's a wonderful place, and it's a shame not to come and visit like they used to."  
  
Zora finally took the chance to speak up. "It's all well and good that you guys could all get together and hang out back then. After all, you were perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. But these past few hundred years have been different. After he died, and you left there wasn't anybody to stand up to the agents anymore. It was just plain stupid to risk death just for a chocolate milk shake."  
  
'Mmmm, chocolate milk shake.' "Be that as it may, I guess since we're back it would be a shame not to use this opportunity to it's fullest value. You need me, and the only place I'm able help is here. Anyway, if Raven doesn't manage to stop the bullets, I could always just make them disappear." Usagi finished with a shrug.  
  
"It does sound like a good plan, and I had already decided it was in everyone, and the resistance's best interest before you got here." She gave a small secretive smile. "But before you leave there's one thing you need to know. This man may look just like Raven, he may talk like Raven, and he is the same person in his own way. But this isn't Raven, this is Neo."  
  
Usagi flinched. She had known that it wasn't her Raven, and it was instead someone completely different. But it still hurt to hear it said out loud. She quickly hid her feelings and answered. "Of course he isn't. Raven died hundreds of years ago. But how am I going to find them?"  
  
Zora already had an answer. "Don't worry, they'll find you. I already told them to closely watch the woman who leaves this place tonight, and they should contact you in a few days."  
  
Usagi nodded slowly. "All right, but you need to promise me one thing. No one remembers Bunny anymore, and I want to keep it that way. You can't tell them who I am. That's knowledge that I'm most likely going to die with, long after everyone who knew me is dead and gone."  
  
Zora just nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Well, I suppose after all of this quiet, it's about time we had some change to deal with. And I'll tell you one thing, things are going to be much different now. I promise." And with a cheery wave Usagi turned around and slowly walked away. And as she walked down the street to her car, she could practically feel the eyes watching her.  
  
***  
  
Well, there you go. Hope you enjoyed it. Now it's time to go back to the real world. But before you do, remember to review and tell me what you thought!  
  
Email me at sirencalling@yahoo.com 


	4. Liquid Gold

Hey everybody! I'm back.. *watches the readers shiver in fright* but don't run away! But because I'm crazy doesn't mean anything..no? Not buying it? Oh well, you might as well just read the chapter..After all, who in their right mind would actually listen to my ravings? After all, I'm not in my right mind while writing them! Man I'm so high on sugar..  
  
****  
  
Neo watched silently as the small blonde woman walked down the steps that led out of the Oracle's apartment. Trinity sat off to the side with a laptop cradled in her lap, and was currently hacking into the computer trying to find anything they could about this mysterious woman. Morpheus was off to his left pacing back and forth. They had been here all day, sitting or standing at the top of the roof that was on the opposing side of the Oracle's apartment. She hadn't said who they were looking for, but hadn't given them any clue as to even when she would show up. All the Oracle had told them was that they should watch her door on this, January 2nd and that the woman who walked out was important. She didn't even tell them what was so special about this girl, just that they needed her. Although, why they would ever need some girl was still a mystery to Neo. But then again, you don't really argue with the Oracle. She just knew too much about what she's talking about. And so they had sat out here in the freezing cold, with the wind beating at their faces. He was beginning to wonder if maybe the Oracle was wrong, and it was almost dark when he noticed a flash of gold and saw the blonde that was trying to hide in the shadows of a house that was on the other side of the street. He had no idea how long she had been there, or even how she had managed to go unnoticed for so long. But he knew this was who they were looking for. She stood there for another hour before she finally walked up the stairs and through the door, without making a single sound.  
  
When that had happened Neo had to restrain himself from going over to the other building and listening to the two women as they talked. But that was the one thing the Oracle insisted on. She had been very unrelenting about it. There would be no one listening to their conversation, no bugs...nothing. Which of course begged the question as to what could be so secretive that they couldn't know, but someone doesn't cross the Oracle for nothing more than curiosity. Not even The One.  
  
And so they had sat there for another 20 minutes waiting for her to come back out. Trinity had started trying to find out everything she could as soon as they had first spotted the woman, before she had even walked into the door. Neo didn't ask how her progress was, and the silence was beginning to eat him alive. So nothing could have made him happier than when the door opened signaling for them to move.  
  
"Do you have all you need?" Morpheus turned form where he stood about five feet away to look at Trinity.  
  
"I think so. We should be able to find her easily now. We can leave any time and I'll try to find out more when we're out of the Matrix." Trinity turned and answered bluntly.  
  
"Alright. Then we should really be getting back. Neo, I want you to follow her and see where she goes next. I trust you can take care of yourself." And with a wave of black trench coat his two companions turned and left.  
  
Turning from where he stood, Neo started running to catch up with the flash of gold hair that was swiftly disappearing in the snow. When he reached the end of the building he didn't even bother stopping, just jumped onto the other one. And soon he was making pace with her as she walked, silent as a mouse.  
  
***  
  
It was harder than Usagi thought it would have been to calmly continue walking on knowing that she was being watched. If she strained her ears she could hear the sound of steps that signaled a person running just out of her sight. It was truly a cruel joke to tell her this, and then expect Usagi not to do anything. And to think that it might be him. Ra- Neo in person, for the first time in hundreds of years was almost more than she could take. And the fact that he was following was definitely going to make it much more difficult to get home the same way she came.  
  
She slowed down her brisk walk a little, and waited until she was sure her watcher had slowed down also to match her pace. Then in a flash she burst into a quick run, and rounded the first corner she could see, and vanished.  
  
***  
  
"Shit." Neo cursed as he saw the apparently harmless and oblivious target burst out running. Not bothering to stop and think he jumped off the building and started chasing after her. It didn't matter if she saw him or not now, because she had to know he was following her already. He saw her disappear around a corner, and ran up to it as fact as he could.  
  
But all he saw was an empty street, and not a spark of gold.  
  
***  
  
Usagi looked up from her perch on the roof of a bakers shop, watching her target. It had taken everything she had not to make a sound when she saw him running around that corner, and appear in her view for the first time. It was him, without a doubt. The hair, the eyes, and the way he sounded when he cursed and turned to chase after her. Even though she hadn't seen him in nearly five hundred years she recognized him instantly, and she felt an overwhelming urge to go down there and do something, hug him, or say hello, or anything. But this was not the man she knew, and she couldn't forget that. She gave a quick glance around the perimeter to see if there was anyone else with him. If there had been everyone would have come out when she ran. That had been her plan at least. She wasn't nearly patient enough to just walk along and not do anything.  
  
When she saw him start to reach into his pocket, most likely for a phone she decided to make her move, and the entire time she kept on reminding her self. 'This is not Raven, this is not Raven.'  
  
She silently jumped off her perch to land just a few feet behind him. But even though she knew she didn't make a sound Neo still spun around to face her.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Looking for something?"  
  
Neo seemed at a loss for words. "Well, yeah." He started to look around him. "You haven't by any chance seen a black cell anywhere have you?"  
  
Usagi staunchly kept a straight face at his pathetic excuse. "No. Did you lose one?"  
  
"Umm." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small harmless black object. "Whadda you know? I had it the whole time! Well, I guess I better be going. Nice seeing you!" And still stuttering Neo turned and walked away.  
  
Usagi sighed. Obviously he wasn't used to spying, as was obvious by the fact that he was at a almost total loss of words the entire time she was there, and then didn't even bother to ask her anything. And then he had gotten out of there as soon as possible.  
  
Usagi quickly glanced around, making sure there was no one near. She didn't see or hear anyone, so deciding it was safe she closed her eyes, and vanished.  
  
***  
  
Neo walked until he was sure he was out of sight, and then jumped onto the nearest building. Trying not to make a sound he started to run across the buildings to get her in his sight once more. He had really messed up big this time, and then when he saw her he was at a total loss for words. There was just something about the way she questioned him that made him feel like a schoolboy that had just done something wrong.  
  
When he finally got to where he had last seen her, he wasn't sure if he was relieved, or upset that she was gone. But the strange thing was that when he looked down on the alley, he could see two sets of footprints in the snow. One was his, and the others were hers. But where his led away down the street, there were none leading away from where she had stood.  
  
'Oh well, she must have jumped or something.' He thought, and turned to walk away. He needed to find that phone line, and try to get out of here. After all, even if his first experience with the woman with the gold hair wasn't exactly what he had expected, they still had a job to do.  
  
Pulling out his phone he quickly dialed a number known only to a very few. "Hello, Tank. I need a line outta here."  
  
***  
  
Usagi sat on her sofa and cradled a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Just because she knew that it didn't exist didn't stop the warmth as the coca spread through her body warming her up. She pulled her knees up under her chin, and curled up into a little ball, still sitting and holding the hot chocolate. Silent tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. After so long, even though she hadn't forgotten, at least with time the pain had lessened. But seeing him again brought it all back. Why did all of this have to happen to her? And once more she fervently wished that she was like so many other people in the world..oblivious. Knowledge was power, that was true. But it was also pain, and she could never completely forget that.  
  
***  
  
Well, is that what you expected? I certainly hope not, because what's the point in reading if there are no surprises?  
  
And now that you're finished reading, go ahead and write a little review. Just a little bity comment on what you thought. Your imput really means a lot to me, and I'll happily take suggestions. Especially what I should do about the whole Trinity dilemma. I suppose I could kill her off to get her out of the way, but I really wouldn't want to do that..  
  
And fell free to email me at sirencalling@yahoo.com if you feel so moved to do so!  
  
Oh, and I highly suggest you go and check out my other stories if you like this one. Especially my personal fav. Chaos Enslaved.  
  
Ja ne until next time! siren 


	5. Chapter 5

Note:

Hello everyone! This is siren, and no, contrary to common belief…I'm not dead. I've merely been so busy with college and work and everything, I haven't even had time to think about my stories, let alone work on writing them. Plus there was the problem of getting a horrible writers block, as well as completely losing confidence in my writing ability. I know that I suck, and I guess that just started to bother me. And due to that fact, I didn't want to work on my stories any more because I felt like they were just cluttering up and there's a lot of bad stuff here already without me adding my stuff to it.

However, I was checking up on the new stats option today, and for the first time in a long while I checked up on the stats for my stories. And I gotta say, I'd completely forgotten that people actually once upon a time liked to read what I had written. And with this stunning realization, I came to the decision that if I needed to, I could try my hand at writing one more time.

My dilemmas and reasons for this note are two-fold. The first one being I will need to work on only one story, as I don't have time to start writing five at the same time. And also due to my personal pride, I would need to completely rewrite it, so I can be satisfied with my story from the beginning. The second part of my problem is that since this will obviously take a lot of work, I need to know which story I should choose. While I may want to work on one, there might be many more people out there who have just been waiting for me to come back from the dead and work on a different one.

So this is the deal, if you want me to work on this story, review and tell me. Also, you can email me at a review will get one point, an email two, and I'll tally them up to make the final decision. So if you want to hear more, or find out what I have in store for this story, let me know. It could be your only chance as I never thought that I could actually come back from the dead. It's a shock to me as much as anyone. And if no one wants me to work on my stories…well…I have other things to do and really don't need to do this whole coming back thing.

Thanks for your help, sorry for the long note, and I'm looking forward to your input!

Ja!

siren


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